St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-19

nardly any rule. The first thing to find
is float" "FlOat consists ofsmall pieces
OF loose rock containing mineral, which
have been detached from some ledge by
the action OF the atmosphere, and is
found in the bed of canOns and
watercourses. If the ssfioat'' be the
green or blue carbonate of copper Una
lachite or azurite), or even rock deeply
stained with copper, the hills around
are carefully searched to find the crop
pings OF the ledge--the portion above
the. ground from which it has been de-
tached. A few pieces of the groupings
are broken off here and there to identify
it with the float" and claim is at
once taken up. Under the United
States law every citizen or alien who
has declared his intention to become
a citizen is entitled to take up
claim on mineral lands of the United
States l,500 feet on the length of the
lead, lode, vein or despOSit," together
with 800 feet on each side for working
purposes. The location is made by mark
Ing the bounds of the claim with six
monuments of stones, and placing in the
initial monument, generally inclosed in
an old yeast powder can, notice
OF location, with the date, the
name of the mine, the names of
the lOcators, and, where possible, the
names OF one or more witnesses. Printed
forms OF location can be purchased,
ready for filling out, in any mining
town. Within ninety days from the
date Of location the notice must be re-
corded on the books of the county clerk
OF the county i'm which the mine is stu
ated. The mine having been located,
specimens are taken for assay, and if
they go $40 in silver to the ton it is safe
to sink ten-fOOt prospect shaft to show
up the vein.
In a prospecting trip of from two to
three months party will make perhaps
a dozen locations, and its members will
think themselves in luck if two out of
the lot are worth sinking upon when
their specimens are assayed. When
body OF minerals is exposed in the ''prOs-
pect' or discovery shaft that will go
$50 to the ton, the prospector, if hard up,
bond it for $4,000. If he sells
it the amount mentioned in the deed
is always about twenty times what he
gets for it, and the same holds good
when he bonds it. This is to give
chance to the middleman when he tries
to put the property on the mining mar
ket in New York or San Francisco to
make handsome little pile for himself.
These middlemen will buy forty or
fifty claims that show mineral at small
prices, gambling on the chance that one
out Of forty may turn out to be
valuable property tSs of mer
engaged in this business, and as pros
pectOrs are reckless crowd and prone
to get into debt, they frequently obtain
good mines for mere song. A fayorite
way in which these merchants obtain
half interests in the finds of a number
of prOspectorS is by the system of GRUB
stakes" They supply the outfit to the
poor prospector from their store,
and he locates them with him in all
claims he finds. This system is
good one for the merchant, but bad
one for the prospectOr, who fire.
Quently finds himself ''frozen out"
through not being able to put UP his
equal share for the development of the
mine must be obtained by United States
patent, but as mines are usually pat
ented by companies and hardly ever by
prospectorS there is no necessity to
enter into the details of the steps neceS-
sary to be taken to obtain patent.
l cannot imagine a more delightful
way to pass summer vacation than on
a prospecting tour among the mount
aims of Colorado, New Mexico and Ari-
IONA. The days are not exceedingly
warm, while the nights are deliciously
cool. The air is clear and bracing and
acts on the blood like champagne.
Everything about prospecting trip
is full of interest and excitement,
and though one may not stumble
across fortune he is certain to bring
back with him store of health. He
may even chance to hit it lucky. The
first trip made prospecting was in New
Mexico in 1880. l was a perfect tender
claims, my share in which 1 subse-
Quently sold for $500. | have often
gone prospecting since, but l never
found anything. Prospecting is a
gamble. Con A. MAHoNY.